Crimson
by AhkneeKitteen
Summary: Revise:Fire's Heart-- Rei Hino figured a vacation at her relatives' shrine would be good for her. Rei didn't figure her younger cousin was coherting with demons of the past. So much for that vacation-- ReixSesshoumaru
1. Family

_**Crimson**_

_Ahknee/Kitteen_

Happyfuntime disclaimer: I own not that which is Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon, which is the property of the wonderful mangaka Naoko Takeuchi. However, I DO own this fic, which took my many an hour to think up, so if you take it, I take your head. Cheerio, then!

_A/N: I'm so pumped. SO PUMPED. Firstly, because I felt like posting up this first chapter to tease y'all. Secondly, because I'm still on my Dir en Grey concert high. A-and Shinya waved to me after the concert! FREAKIN' A! Let's party, y'all._

_And GAWD having two different elderly men referred to as 'grandpa' in here became difficult, so I refer to Rei's grandfather merely as 'grandpa' and Kagome's as 'gramps' to lessen everyone's headaches.  
_

**.:Chapter 1: Family:.**

It was a cloudy day; the humidity was high and it looked like there would be rain, but this was only to be expected during this time of the year. Barely anyone was wandering around town, probably due to the dreary weather, and the day felt oddly empty.

Of course, all of that was of no concern to Rei Hino.

The raven-haired woman was busy attending to her normal duties as Shinto priestess: her day had started out with a scrubbing-down of the temple floors, followed up by a rigorous cleaning routine through every room. Now, she was winding her afternoon down by sweeping up the multicolored leaves that had started to litter the ground.

This was all normal for her. This was the life she had become accustomed to: a slow-paced, nothing sort of life. Despite the fact that she sometimes longed for the days when she was Sailor Mars, this was everything that she needed right now. Just whiling away the days with her grandfather and getting to know Yuuichiro better was all that she cared about.

Life felt perfect. Sometimes, nothing like this was everything.

Footsteps started to approach her from behind. She recognized them as Yuuichiro's after a moment.

"Yes?" she asked, not even pausing in her methodical sweeping.

"How did you--" Yuuichiro trailed off. "... never mind. You've got some mail."

"Anything unrelated to spam?" she asked, finally pausing to look at him.

"Uuhhh," he seemed dumbstruck for a moment before regaining his wit. "Oh, uh, one from the Higurashi family?"

"... Higurashi?" she pondered lightly. The name rang a bell; it felt very familiar. It was only after a moment of thinking that it hit her. "Oh, the _Higurashi family_."

"You don't like them?" Yuuichiro had easily picked up on the disdain in her voice.

"They're relatives," she answered. "Family of my mother's brother."

"Your mom had a brother?"

"Yeah. I almost forgot it myself, that's how rarely I hear from them," Rei answered. "In fact, come to think of it, the last time I heard from them was just after the services for my mother."

"That's a shame," Yuuichiro remarked.

"You don't need to tell me that," she said, sticking out her hand. "Well? Give the letter to me."

As soon as the envelope was placed in her hand, she quickly tore it open along the seal with her finger, pulling out the letter and unfolding it. Her eyes quickly roved across the paper, and she was done in no time flat.

"... jerks," she muttered, crumpling up the sheet.

"What now?" Yuuichiro asked.

"They've invited me to visit them."

"Why?"

"They want me to help teach their daughter how to manage her responsibilities."

"Daughter? You have a cousin?"

"Yes. She's way younger than me." Rei practically read his mind, answering the unspoken question. "And no, I don't know by how much, so don't even ask me."

"Hey, who said I was gonna ask?" he responded, waving his hands up in defense.

"You were thinking it," she glared.

"So, you uh, gonna go?"

"I'm not sure," she shrugged. "I'll think about it over the next few days."

--

Rei found herself staring down Yuuichiro and her grandfather.

"Don't use the prayer room. _Ever_." She waved her finger at the two. "Really. The sacred fire is not to be used at all."

She was desperately trying to do some last minute rule reinforcing.

"You do remember the last time I let you run the shrine, right?"

"Yes," Yuuichiro replied.

"Well, don't let that incident repeat itself. I'm not coming home to that ever again."

"Got it," he sighed.

"He doesn't," Grandpa whispered, winking.

"H-hey!"

"ANYWAY," Rei boomed, "do a thorough cleaning of the shrine at least once a week. Make sure grandpa here doesn't do anything perverted to the poor school girls. And NO PARTIES."

"Alright already," Yuuichiro grinned. "We understand. Your taxi's here, so get moving!"

He had to practically shove her into the cab.

"AND STAY OUT OF MY ROOM!" she gave a final bellow as the cab's door was closed in her face.

"Well grandpa," Yuuichiro grinned. "Looks like Rei's finally getting a vacation!"

"And I get free run around here again ..." the old man smiled deviously.

"..." Yuuichiro had the odd feeling that this vacation for Rei would become some wacky babysittting adventure for himself.

--

Rei stared up the long flight of stairs before glancing down at her baggage. There wasn't much; she'd only need to make one trip. It was the problem of getting her three bags – they weren't exactly light – to the top of the stairs.

With a sigh, she hefted the backpack on and swung the dufflebags over her shoulders. Maybe all those years of being Sailor Mars would finally come in handy.

It took her ten minutes to reach the top of the stairs (she'd taken a breather halfway up), and when she did, she realized how Yuuichiro felt the first few months he lived at the shrine and had to lug groceries up the stairs. She would never tease him about that again.

She took a moment to catch her breath and survey the area. The layout was different from her shrine, but that was only to be expected. It seemed about the same size and was also surrounded by a mass of trees. It would definitely be no problem for her to settle in.

Rei shifted her attention to the building when she heard the door opening. Out stepped a dark haired woman, who didn't immediately notice Rei's presence. When she did, she performed a double-take before approaching her.

"Hino Rei?"

"That's me."

"Rei! Oh, it's been so long!" The woman grabbed at Rei's hands and pulled her into a tight hug. "Dear, you look so much like your mother I was a little confused for a moment!"

"Really ..." Rei didn't return the gesture, feeling awkward from the familiarity of the greeting she'd been pulled into.

"Well then," she finally released Rei, "we should go into the house now and get you settled in. Here, let me help you with your bags ..."

Her room was small. Not tiny small, but more of a cozy small; the kind where a person could just fall into bed without any qualms and feel right at home even if it was their first visit.

Of course, Rei wasn't the sort of person to just collapse into bed in a dead sleep after just arriving (unlike a certain dumpling-head she could name).

She didn't bother to unpack; for now she could live out of her bags. Besides, it wasn't as if she'd be here for more than a few weeks.

Downstairs, unbeknownst to Rei, there was a touch of worry going around.

"What are we supposed to do? Kagome said if she wasn't home by this afternoon then she'd most likely be gone for another few days ..." Mrs. Higurashi worried.

"Well, we'll just have to make up some excuse for her absence, aren't we?" Gramps replied.

"Oh, and how are we supposed to lie to someone who's living under our roof?"

"... simple. We say she suddenly got permission to go on a class field trip."

"A field trip that lasts several days?"

"It's been known to happen," the old man smiled. "We'll pull it off."

"When you put it like that ... I think we might just be able to," she smiled back at him. "Well, I guess I should start deciding what to make for dinner."

Rei noticed that her aunt and great ... whatever were looking oddly anxious about something at the dinner table. She wasn't blind; their odd behavior was definitely leaning a bit towards her, but she just couldn't figure out why.

Of course, as she subtly surveyed the table, she noticed one thing missing: her female cousin. Maybe that was the cause: the two were waiting for Rei to ask where Kagome had gone.

"... so, where's your daughter?" she finally asked.

"Oh, she was suddenly approved to go on a class field trip for the weekend," Mrs. Higurashi replied in a way that was almost too smooth.

Something fishy was going on.

'I didn't fall off the turnip truck yesterday, people,' Rei mused, slightly narrowed eyes masked behind a slight smile. "Ah, I see. Where to?"

"They're on a visit to some of the oldest monuments just outside of the city," Gramps replied.

"Really ..." The fact that the old man had jumped in so suddenly when Mrs. Higurashi didn't immediately respond only added to Rei's suspicion. "Sounds fascinating."

"I'm sure it is. She's been looking forward to it for a while now," he smiled at her.

_Very_ fishy.

"Well, that's good," Rei answered, her tone normal. "I hope she's enjoying herself."

Silence hung over the table as Rei tried to pick apart what was happening. Something felt like it was under what her relatives had just said, and yet she couldn't quite find out what it was. There was some huge secret being kept from her, and it seemed even the little brother was in on it.

There was one simple disadvantage to the group though: Rei was an expert at sleuthing out secrets (it did come with the territory after hiding her own for so many years), and she would drag this one out of them even if it took her a lifetime to do it.

--

It was three in the morning and Rei felt ready to throw a fit due to the fact that she couldn't fall asleep.

With a growl, she sat up in bed, throwing the covers off and swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She silently made her way to the window, carefully opening it and letting the cool night air rush in.

'Now that feels good ...'

As she stared off and into the distance, admiring the serene view, a slight shudder went up her spine. She wasn't even remotely cold, though.

Slowly, she carefully scanned the area. If she didn't know any better, that shiver was caused by the very faint detection of an almost monster-like presence ... but surely there weren't any remaining around here? The sensation was gone by now, but it still left her on edge.

'Maybe I'm just jumpy from the new environment,' she decided. That had to be it; there was no other reason that she would feel that odd sensation. The feeling was too faint to be anything to worry about ...

Unless there really _was_ a monster in the area.

But she knew better than that. The chances of that happening were slim to none. Even if there was one, she didn't need to worry – all the small fry left over from the presence of any and all evil on earth were easy to kill. And more over, the enemy would not be here, since it was almost always Usagi the bad guys were after.

Thoroughly convinced, Rei walked back over to her bed, leaving the window hanging wide open. She curled up beneath her covers and tried to fall asleep.

The hairs on the back of her neck continued to stand on end.

--

Despite her lack of sleep, Rei was awake at ten and ready to face the day by eleven, having taken a long shower to get her going.

After all, she was not like Usagi and Minako and did not want to waste a perfectly good day by sleeping through it.

She walked downstairs and into the living room, where Sota was already lounging on the floor and watching some cartoons.

"... what are you watching?" she squinted her eyes at the cartoon.

"Sailor Moon." Rei practically snorted. That was still on after all these years?

"Have fun with that, perv."

"I'm not a-"

"The only reasons boys like Sailor Moon is because all the girls wear skimpy clothes," she answered, wagging a finger at him. "Trust me, I know. The rest of the male audience is gay. So tell me, which side of the demographics do you fall on?"

"..."

"I figured. So, who's your favorite?"

"Huh?"

"Well, since you watch the show, I assume you have a favorite ... which sailor is it you like the best?"

"I dunno," Sota shrugged.

"Everyone has a favorite. You have to really like one of them, so who is it?"

"I guess ... Mercury."

Rei's eyebrows rose in amusement. "Oh, now really? How cute. What do you like about her?"

"... I dunno." Rei snickered, taking a seat next to him on the floor to see what the show was all about.

"Aw man, Sailor Mars doesn't look anything like that," Rei frowned. She'd never actually watched the show before, having just assumed it was terrible. Now she knew she was right.

"How do you know?"

"Uh, y'know, news coverage. I live in the area where the Sailor Soldiers did most of their work, after all," she replied smoothly. "You just start to learn their faces after so many stories."

"Man, that must be awesome," Sota muttered. "Didja ever meet any of them?"

"Nope. But a friend of a friend has been saved by them many times."

"Really?"

"Yep. She's either very lucky or unlucky, depending on your view of the matter." Now that Rei thought of it, poor Naru was probably more traumatized than anything else by all the terror she'd endured while being friends with Usagi.

"Man, that's so cool."

"Right. Well, you never know, maybe someday you'll find yourself in danger and be saved by one of them, right?"

"Pffft, I don't think that'll ever happen."

"You never know," she shrugged, standing up. "Well, I don't think I can take much more of this, so ... I'll just go and ... do something."

"..."

Shaking her head, Rei walked out of the room and into the kitchen, where Mrs. Higurashi was washing dishes.

"Good morning," Rei greeted her aunt.

"Morning," she chirped in reply. "How are you?"

"Awake," she answered.

"Well, that's always good to hear," Mrs. Higurashi laughed. "So, any plans for the day?"

"Not really. I might just wander around to see the sights."

"Ah, you should have grandpa show you around the grounds so you can become familiar with everything."

"... or that," she said, "whatever comes first."

"Well, you could check out the area for yourself if you want."

"I think I'll do that," she answered.

"Oh, don't you want some breakfast first?"

"Nah, I'm good. Maybe when I'll get back I'll eat something."

"Alright, then. Have fun looking around. If you have any questions, just ask Grandpa. He'll be more than happy to answer them for you. And remember to be back by one, otherwise your lunch will get cold."

"Right," Rei waved her hand over her shoulder and she slid the doors leading out to the grounds open. "I'll be back in a while. If not, send send a search party."

She slid the door shut, pausing to look around and admire the area again. She was happy it was a nice spring day (unlike the dreary weather last week); it made this the perfect opportunity to leisurely explore.

Rei tapped the toes of her shoes on the ground a few times (habit, she acknowledged) before beginning to look around.

As she idled about, the hair on the back of her neck rose. She rubbed her hand across the area, trying to ignore the feeling. It was the same thing she had felt last night, but stronger by just a touch.

She closed her eyes, letting her senses survey the area for her. Carefully, she tried to pick up the source.

When Rei opened her eyes, she spun around to look back at the house. It wasn't possible; not even remotely.

But there were remnants of amonster-like presence everywhere in there. She just didn't sense it before because it was all so old and weak. She actually had to focus to pick up on it. However, that didn't help her figure out why she couldn't sleep last night.

That wasn't all, she realized, turning back around to face a large shed pushed slightly back and into the trees. That shed was emitting an odd feeling and she was getting a sense of deja vu from it. It felt like someone or somewhere she'd been before; it gave off the same feeling as that, but she couldn't stick her finger on it.

The word was on the tip of her tongue. It hit her after a moment of careful contemplation.

"... no," she muttered. "It can't be ..."

Setsuna?

Definitely, it felt similar to her, but it couldn't have anything to do with the dark-skinned woman. She'd retired back to the Time Gates years ago and hadn't been heard from since. It was impossible for her presence and energy to be around here even if she had been making herself available.

She'd have to check this out more once night hit. Right now, there was the possibility of being seen, and Rei always did prefer to work without prying eyes on her.

She glanced down at the watch strapped to her wrist. It was half past eleven. She decided to do her investigating once she had the cover of night on her side.

"Ah, Rei!" She turned around to find Gramps approaching her.

"Oh, hi," Rei greeted. "Good afternoon."

"I see you're enjoying the shrine grounds, yes?" his eyes twinkled with glee. She nodded. "Good, good! Here, let me explain the history to you ..."

Rei was very grateful that lunch would be soon.

--

"So Rei, tell us how you've been," Mrs. Higurashi smiled sweetly at her niece.

It was dark out and everyone was still sitting at the dinner table.

"Fine," Rei shrugged.

"How's your grandfather?" Gramps asked.

"He's getting on in the years," she began, "but he's still as spirited as ever. He's got as much spunk as any kid you'll ever meet."

"And your father?" Mrs. Higurashi asked.

"I haven't talked to him for a long time," Rei explained, "because we came to the mutual decision that I would be far better off without him in my life. Things were getting too complicated and there wasn't much left for us to try and mend." It almost sounded like she was talking about an old flame.

"That's a shame," she 'tsk'ed. "He was always such a nice man, but after you mother passed ..."

"You don't need to tell me," Rei said.

"Well, anyway," Mrs. Higurashi perked up. "Are you attending college?"

"No, I'm not," she responded. "I've devoted my full time to running the shrine. Business is good, and it's enough to make a living off of, so there's no worries."

"Oh, but isn't it hard, running the shrine alone and all?"

"Like I said, Grandpa is still as spunky as ever. I also have a full-time assistant working at the shrine."

"Oh, really? An apprentice?"

"No, a friend. Without his help, I admit that I would've had issues maintaining the place still. Grandpa may still have his energy, but I've made him stop doing many things because they're just too tough for someone his age. Yuuichiro has taken on some of those responsibilities to lighten my load."

"A young man, hm?" An odd glow formed in Mrs. Higurashi's eyes.

"... there's nothing between us," Rei resisted frowning, "as we decided it would make things too complicated." She wasn't about to confess to the fact that they had ceased dating two years ago after coming to that decision.

"What a shame. But are there any other boys in your life?"

"None," she replied smoothly. "I'm at a point in my life where I'm happy being single." More like 'I have no choice but to be single because it's my unavoidable fate,' but the family didn't need to know that.

"Well, how about your friends, then?" Rei didn't see the point in being asked that, but decided to humor the woman anyway.

"My best friend recently got engaged," she said. "I'm very happy for her and her husband, who's another good friend."

"Oh, really? When's the wedding set?"

"They haven't quite decided yet," she replied, "but they intend it to happen within the next couple of years."

"Any other friends?"

"Well, they're all very busy. One's attending a prestigious medical school, another's attending culinary and business schools, and the other's working on becoming a scouting agent," - she then recalled that she was missing a few - "and my other two friends have settled down with an adopted daughter. Another friend is out of the country doing business and has no intention of returning any time soon."

"That's quite a lot there," Gramps remarked after the explanation.

"I know," Rei answered, taking a sip of her tea. "It's a trick remembering everything, but it's something that comes naturally after a few times of hearing everyone talk about their lives."

"So, do you see them often?" Mrs. Higurashi asked. She was asking more questions than Rei preferred to answer.

"We arrange a weekend each month where we just get together and hang out."

"That's wonderful," she nodded. "I'm glad you're doing so well." What had she expected? It wasn't like trying to survive out in the big bad world was a chore or anything like that. It was something she'd been doing for so long that it was no longer difficult.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I've got some unpacking to do," Rei stood up. "I'll see all of you tomorrow."

Really, she was more eager to start investigating than anything, and needed some time to formulate a plan on how to go about the feat of sneaking around the property without being noticed.

She went up to her room and locked the door behind her.

**.:Fin:.  
**

_... I would just like everyone to know that I managed to beat my computer at a game of chess while typing this chapter after five tries in the easiest mode XD Yes, I fail at chess, and that is why I play against my computer. I'm also not a big strategist, so I'm playing chess to work on that. And I am also very cold right now – a piece of chocolate I've been munching on for ten minutes now hasn't even begun to melt between my cold fingers ..._

_Man, I really do wonder how I managed to sit at my computer for hours at a time and just type up fics. Really, did I not have that much of a life or was my attention span just way better then than it is now? But anyway, I surpassed my goal of ten pages for this chapter, so I hope everyone appreciates it (yes, that's my goal per chapter – ten pages of goodness)._


	2. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

_**Crimson**_

_Ahknee/Kitteen_

_A/N: Welcome back for chapter two, everyone. I'm happy y'all enjoyed the last chapter so much! Ahaha. I'm still working on typing up and catching up on revising chapters, but never fear, with a full week of winter break left, I have plenty of time.  
_

_Stupid auto-spellcheck, underlining all the damn Japanese names in here ... adding them to the dictionary for my word program is not fun, no siree._

**.:Chapter 2: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time:.**

Rei opened her window without making a noise, climbing up and onto the ledge to peer down. Just like earlier on in the day, she surveyed the distance from her spot to the ground, doing some mental calculations.

She had two options: leap down and possibly break her everything or scale down the wall – the same decisions as earlier. She pressed her hand against the wall, feeling to see if she could get a proper grip on it. She couldn't and she looked around to see if there was a drain from the leaf gutter she could grab onto nearby (which there wasn't).

She sighed lightly. Sneaking out the front or back door was not an option; there were too many risks involved with those.

There was one option left, and she probably would've resorted to it anyway seeing as the possibilities she looked for earlier wouldn't have provided her with a way back into the house without more criminal means.

She went over to her backpack and unzipped the front pouch; nestled in one of the pockets was her transform rod. It still looked the same as ever, though slightly scratched and unpolished, but she knew it would work perfectly despite its imperfections.

Twirling it expertly through her fingers, she paused to buff out a slight blemish on it before doing what she hadn't done in a handful of years.

"Mars Crystal Power, Make Up." She didn't shout it out with the enthusiasm she had always done, avoiding waking the family, but a giddy tone had crept into her voice.

In a mere matter of milliseconds, standing where Rei Hino had once been, was Sailor Mars, a slight flare of heat radiating off of her from the flames that had temporarily encircled her form.

It had been a long time. She had to admit that she'd dearly missed the surge from being in this form. It felt so comfortable and familiar, like an embrace from an old friend.

... although, she realized it would take her a while to get used to the heels again.

Sighing, she climbed back onto the ledge, letting her legs dangle over the edge. With a slight push, she dropped down to the ground, easily shifting her weight out of years of habit to lessen the strain on her joints. As she stood back at attention, she flicked her hair back over her shoulders before heading for the well.

The shed's exterior looked mildly run-down, but she figured that it wasn't much of a hazard if precautions hadn't been taken to prevent entry. She stepped into the shed, letting her eyes adjust to the dark interior as she closed the door behind her. As her eyes adjusted, she noted the flight of steps before her and leapt down them with ease, landing lightly on her feet.

A well lay before her, looking older than dirt. She glared down at it, already detecting a heave in the presence of not only the Setsuna-like energy, but also in the feeling of the demonic aura, still relatively old but strong.

'Jackpot,' she grinned wryly to herself.

She reached out a gloved hand, tracing her fingers along the ledge of the well to try and pick up any other odd things radiating from it, only to find nothing. If this was indeed a time portal, how was it activated, and moreover, where did it lead? Also, how come no one in the family had yet to discover it? It was obviously active and ready to be used.

Leaning slightly over the edge, she stared down at the almost pitch-black bottom. She could feel the portal's power originating from there. Not one to hesitate, she hopped onto the ledge and continued to stare down.

Logic dictated that it would be best to call for some backup before doing what she was about to do. Logic also dictated that contacting Setsuna would be the most beneficial thing in the world; she would get right to the heart of the problem and solve it in a flash.

Unfortunately, Sailor Mars had never really been the 'look before you leap' type; and it was this that drove her to leap down and into the well, body automatically bracing itself for the landing at the bottom.

Her heeled feet never even touched the ground, and she was stunned as, right before impact, a bright light flashed and she found herself surrounded by a mass of swirling blue lights.

Same time energy, different look. She wondered if Setsuna had the ability to alter the look of time-space like this; she'd never quite figured out the mysterious woman's sense of humor.

In the blink of an eye, she felt the solidity of the earth beneath her feet. Although her current surroundings paralleled her previous ones, she noted the blatant differences with ease: the lack of a ladder leading up, instead replaced by vines, and the starry sky overhead.

Just how far back had she gone?

--

The only reason Sailor Mars knew she'd been shot back into the past was through some deductive reasoning; even her nose could detect a lack of pollution in the air, and the fact that she could see the vast amount of stars covering the sky only added to her conclusion.

Of course, the large amount of greenery surrounding the clearing was also a great hint. There was no way the future was this overrun by flora (this wasn't so much of a hunch as a known fact – after all, she _had_ taken a pit stop or two there).

Mars' attention was pulled away from figuring out where she was as her sense automatically began to go on high alert at an approaching energy. It felt vaguely familiar, but something about it was off. Her eyes narrowed as she turned to face the source.

Practically bounding into view came a mass of something dark and generally slick and disgusting. It came to a stop several yards away from her, but even from her distance, a foul odor infiltrated her senses, causing her eyes to water as she placed a hand over her nose and mouth.

Her other senses were on high alert, however. The hairs on her arms and neck rose, and something in the back of her mind screamed at her to attack this foul-smelling creature before it could get any closer to her.

It took a lot of concentration to focus her mind, trying to hone in on what this being was. The energy that radiated off the creature was quite similar to the various monsters she had faced back in her early days, back when the Dark Kingdom was still running amok and sending low-level creatures to do its bidding. However, there was something entirely unique to this energy; it felt more evil, more bloodthirsty ...

'A demon?!' These were things she'd only heard of in myths and legends, things that weren't supposed to exist. She'd been through a lot in her time as Sailor Mars, but never had she encountered a _demon_ (in fact, if she hadn't experienced so much, she most likely would've had a near heart attack around now).

Well, there was no delaying it. She flicked her wrist, extending her hand to her side. This attack would be the only move she'd need to wipe this thing out. It felt too weak to her to even be considered a threat.

"Fire Soul!"

--

"I'm so tired," Kagome practically cried as she and the rest of the gang stumbled into the village.

"Quit whining," Inuyasha grumbled. "It's annoying."

"It's too late to be arguing, you guys," Sango moaned. "Please keep it to a minimum."

Kagome unleashed a long yawn, pausing mid-step to stretch. This appeared to help her only minimally, and she continued to trudge forwards.

"What makes these stupid demons think attacking in the middle of the night is a good idea?" she sniffed pathetically. "I'm losing out on precious sleep time ..."

"You're not the only one," Miroku grunted, leaning heavily against his staff.

As they approached Kaede's house, Kagome paused once more, perking up a little before she sagged back down.

"Oh, WHY ..." She looked closer to tears than she had before. It looked as if she'd have to go another night with no sleep.

"What?" Sango asked.

"There's something far off ... but it's a weird energy ... and I can kinda sense a shard ..."

"Where's it coming from?" Everyone suddenly looked very much awake now.

"I think ... the well ..."

In the blink of an eye, the group set off.

--

She couldn't believe it. Her head didn't want to wrap around it.

_The demon had brushed off her attack like it was nothing_.

What was this world coming to?

Furrowing her brow, Sailor Mars took a moment to analyze her opponent. It felt so weak, so why wasn't she able to kill it? As her eyes roved over the creature's form, they alighted upon one spot. In what she assumed to be the stomach area, an odd energy was being emitted. It also felt familiar, and this time she was able to immediately pinpoint what if felt like: the Silver Crystal. The only striking difference she could detect right now was the lack of energy she felt from it, and the slight darkness that was beginning to cloud the bright aura.

It was time to get serious. She'd just tossed out a few fireballs here and there earlier to get a grip on everything; now that she had a set target, she'd need something better.

"Mars ..." once more, she flicked her wrist out, and the symbol of her namesake glowed in her palm.

"Flame ..." She took aim. The demon charged.

"Sniper!" The burning arrow flew out at a rapid speed, the demon charging right into it. The mark was perfect; the arrow flew straight through the demon's stomach, sending a bright shard flying through the air as the arrow burned out. The demon slumped to the ground, dead, now emitting an even worse odor.

Mars pinched her nose as she walked around the body, heading for the shard that was glittering in the grass. She carefully picked it up, examining the fragment in her gloved palm: pink, semi-transparent, and obviously only a small part of some larger jewel.

She idly slipped the sharp into the sleeve of her glove as discreetly as possible, turning to face some of the mass of forest that partially surrounded the clearing.

"I know you're there," she snapped, setting her hands on her hips. There was a slight breeze, and the foliage rustled with it, but she wasn't fooled.

"Come out," she growled. "Or I will burn your cover down."

Not so hastily, a group of four emerged from the foliage. Mars scanned the group quickly, evaluating whether they were a threat or not. Her evaluation stopped short at one person.

'Oh shit.'

Said person feebly raised an arm, pointing quite rudely at Mars.

"You're one of the Sailor Soldiers!" she gasped.

"Bingo," Mars replied, already scanning the area for a good escape route.

"You know her?" the other female in the small group asked.

"She's famous," replied the first knowingly. "Y'know, beat up the bad guys, save the world, stuff like that?"

"... ?"

A sigh. "Nevermind."

Sailor Mars was taking this opportunity to start moving towards her chosen escape route.

"Stop right there!" Suddenly, a very big and sharp sword was staring her in the face.

"Inuyasha!"

"She tried to run off with the jewel shard!" the sword wielder Inuyasha, Mars presumed, snapped.

"You could be a bit less forceful about it!"

Mars was swiftly starting to move away from the group once more, only to find her other escape route blocked by the other members of the group.

"See?!" Inuyasha waved his sword at Mars. "She tried it again!"

Mars was getting fed up, and her temper was flaring into the dangerous levels. Glaring at everyone in general, she placed her fingertips together, focusing her energy.

"Burning Mandala!"

The fireballs shot out all around, effectively setting fire to the field in several areas and creating enough of a distraction that she could make a swift escape in the confusion. She took to the trees, swiftly winding her way through the foliage and out of the proximity, ignoring the shouts that were coming from the direction of the well.

--

Sailor Mars would never admit outright that she was probably just a little out of shape, but she did make note of it as she paused before a stream, out of breath, lungs and legs aching as she stopped. She bent forward, hands resting on her knees, desperately fighting to control her gasping breaths.

'That wasn't even two miles.'

As her composure slowly came back to her, she threw a glance over her shoulder before facing back in the direction she'd come from. She closed her eyes, continuing to try and calm herself as she used her senses to scan the direction she'd come from. Just barely, she could feel the faint aura of Inuyasha. If she kept moving at the pace she'd been at previously, she could easily lose him, but for now, that was near impossible for her. That mad dash had left her tired enough; any more and she'd have no energy left to fight if anything else decided to ambush her.

She turned back around, facing the river. The water would prove a hindrance to her attacks, assuming Inuyasha was smart enough to utilize it properly, but she could always find a way around any issues that sprung up.

Deftly, she leapt to the other side of the river, ignoring the protest that came from her legs as she landed. Whoever decided to equip these outfits with heels was a sadistic bastard, she decided with a light groan.

It took a few minutes, but Mars was ready for Inuyasha when he came barreling ungracefully through the trees and into view on the other side of the river. He barely looked winded.

"Running was a big mistake," he called from his side of the river, a feral grin making its way onto his face. Mars glared darkly at him, tempted to start hurling fireballs at his face.

"We'll see about that," she replied carelessly, stretching her arms out slightly as she gathered her energy. "I hope you're ready to feel the fire."

If anything, his smirk grew wider. She was almost put off by his confidence, but quickly decided not to let that deter her as she readied herself for the first move. Quickly moving, she produced an ofuda, placing it before her face, between her index fingers.

Inuyasha, from her point on the other side of the river, growled, not about to let her get the first move. First he yanked out his sword, and in a flash, it became large and deadly. He then backed up a touch, just enough to get a running jump in order to make it to the other side of the river.

He was too slow.

"Fire Soul Bird!"

The fiery rendition of a phoenix burst forth, charged by the ofuda, right towards Inuyasha, who was in midair. In response, he twisted around, oddly agile, and used his sword to slice right through the flames like it was nothing. Mars couldn't hide the shock that came onto her face.

Fine. If he wanted to play like that, she could easily match him.

She dashed back, putting distance between herself and him. Already, she was preparing for her next attack, waiting for him to land on the banks before unleashing it.

"Mars Snake Fire!"

His bare feet had barely hit the dirt before the attack came rushing at him. The flame snake's jaw was already wide open, ready to consume the target in the inferno. Inuyasha had no time to react, which was just what Mars had wanted.

The attack engulfed his form, and Mars could barely make out his shimmering form in the immense amount of flames. Just as quickly as they'd covered him, the flames died away.

Inuyasha stood, unscathed, a smug look on his face. Mars threw a hissy fit.

"What the hell?! You're supposed to be fried!" she snapped, pointing her finger at him accusingly. "How come you're not well-done yet?!!"

"Heh, fire can't touch me," he grinned, tugging on his red robes. "Flame resistant."

For once, Sailor Mars had a supreme wish she had someone else's element to wield. Jupiter's thunder seemed like it would be wonderful right about now. Alas, she would have to improvise for the moment.

She readied a few slips of ofuda, concealing them as she waited for Inuyasha to come within her range. She was thankful he was a hard-headed idiot, as he came charging at her head-on, sword poised for the kill.

When he was just a mere yard away, she flipped over his head with ease, flinging ofuda at his quickly halting form as she twisted around to face him before landing easily on her feet a good distance away.

Inuyasha was frozen, on the ground, the large amount of ofuda having taken effect in the blink of an eye. Mars grinned triumphantly, standing and dusting off her outfit.

"Take that." She gloated only briefly, knowing that the charms would only last so long. With a farewell salute, she took off along the river, pausing for a brief moment before continuing on at full speed, fully intent on putting as much space between him and her as possible.

--

"You lost her?!" Kagome hollered at Inuyasha, who's ears flattened against his head in an attempt to dull the piercing sound of her voice.

"She hit me with those damn charms of hers!" he snapped back. Kagome didn't let up.

"I don't care! You just ruined the chance for me to meet THE Sailor Mars!" she wailed. "That's a once in a lifetime opportunity!"

"Keh, whatever," he spun away from her, folding his arms over his chest. Kagome sniffled.

"I'm too sleep-deprived for this. I'm going to bed. AND NO I DON'T CARE IF IT'S A FEW HOURS UNTIL DAYLIGHT."

She stormed off, back towards the village, fully intent on sleeping late for the day. The rest of the group stared at her as she did.

"She's overreacting," Inuyasha grumbled, holding up his hand. Between his forefinger and thumb was the shard Sailor Mars had taken. The other two members of the group laughed slightly, amused.

--

Rei had changed back to her civilian disguise a while ago, thinking it would help throw anyone off of her trail if she was still being followed. So far she hadn't detected any pursuers, so she could assume she was safe for the time being.

Then again, it was hard to presume oneself safe in a land where demons were running rampant.

Flicking her hair over her shoulder while puffing out a sigh, she slowed her pace down a notch. She didn't have a clue what time it was, but she roughly estimated that it was at least three, judging from the moon's position in the sky. It would be almost useless to find a place to sleep, seeing as she'd have to be up and about once the sun was out, lest she wanted to become something's breakfast.

Ew, Rei-pancake. That didn't sound appealing.

Of course, the human side of her was screaming to take a rest, maybe a small cat nap until she was more recharged. All of that fleeing had worn her out pretty good, and she was starting to feel the aches in her everything from all the exertion she put herself through earlier.

So far, her human side was beating her logical side up. She would need to find shelter to take a break in while she recovered. Even the great Rei Hino had limits, and she had pushed hers pretty far, especially considering how she hadn't turned into Sailor Mars for several years now.

--

"Hey, pretty lady, are you alright?"

Rei did not want to move at all, much less respond to the voice that had begun to seep into her consciousness.

"Huh, maybe she's dead ..." And suddenly, she was poked in the leg. She moaned, shifting slightly before forcing herself to fully wake up.

She did not expect to see a little girl crouching in front of her, and she nearly went screaming up the tree out of surprise.

"Who are you?!" she breathed, staring at the child before her. Said child offered a lopsided grin.

"My name's Rin!"

"... Rin."

"Yep! What's your name, pretty lady?"

"Rei."

"Hi Rei!" Rin continued to beam brightly up at her.

"Are you alone?" Rei eyed her wearily.

"Oh no!" she smiled. "I'm traveling with Lord Sesshoumaru and Jaken!"

"With a ... lord?" she breathed. Rin didn't seem like she'd be the sort of company a lord would keep; with her unkempt hair and common clothes, she seemed more like a peasant.

"Uh-huh!" Rin's head bobbed up and down enthusiastically.

"... alright." Rei decided that, by this point, she wouldn't let anything else take her by surprise.

"You're clothes are weird," Rin commented. "Why do they look so funny?"

Rei didn't know how to respond, or more appropriately, what she was supposed to say. Setsuna never covered the finer details of time travel, especially to the past, seeing as it was never warranted before now.

"... I'm not from around here." The answer sounded safe enough, so she figured it was good enough for now.

"Where are you from?"

Well, crap.

"Far, far away – somewhere you've never heard of." It wasn't as if she was lying to the kid – after all, it was the partial truth, so her conscience wouldn't be going psychotic over the matter.

"Oh, okay."

There was a moment of silence as Rin hummed some random little tune to herself, rocking on her bare feet. She broke it quite abruptly.

"Hey, wanna play with me?" Rin tilted her head to the side, still smiling innocently. Rei didn't see any harm in accepting the offer for now.

"Sure."

"Let's go!" Rin snatched up Rei's hand, practically dragging the older female to her feet and out of the area she'd been previously sleeping in. Soon, she was dragged back to the river she'd been following during the night.

Without hesitation, Rin dashed into the shallow area of the river, sending enough water flying and making enough commotion to rival that of an elephant's entry into water. She only paused in her crazed water antics to yank up the skirt of her robes and secure them in their spot, where water would hit them the least.

"C'mon Lady Rei!"

Lady Rei. It took the priestess a moment to register that. But oh, she could definitely get used to being called that.

Hesitantly, Rei approached the riverbank, removing her shoes and dipping a foot in to test the water. As expected, it was cold and it sent shivers up her spine, but it wasn't necessarily unpleasant. She took a moment to brace herself before she stepped all the way in, getting soaked to the ankles. It was a good thing she'd worn capris before heading out of the house last night.

She kept a weary eye on Rin, lest the girl lose her footing and get carried away by the current. Rei knew how to save herself if she got caught in the river; she wasn't quite sure Rin did, which warranted the extra caution.

Really, she wasn't entirely sure why she'd even agreed to play with the kid. She was never big on children in the first place – most of them annoyed her right out of her skin. She'd been able to handle Chibiusa, just because of their common interest in bugging Usagi; Chibi Chibi hadn't been around her enough to bother her.

So why was she putting up with Rin, who was probably barely even ten? It made no sense in her mind why she was doing this and what made her want to do it. It was stupid, it was pointless, and it was extremely careless – the whole thing could've been a trap for all she knew!

But it wasn't, her mind reminded her. This was alright; it was allowed. Rin had done nothing to really annoy her so far (besides wake her up, which was more a favor, seeing as she hadn't intended to doze off so deeply in the first place), and she didn't feel any ill intention nearby, so maybe this wasn't a bad thing.

"RIIIIINNNNN!!"

At the cry of her name, the girl stopped jumping around in the water for a brief moment, grinning broadly.

"Over here Lord Jaken!" she cheered, flailing her arms madly before continuing to slosh around.

Rei briefly wondered what this Jaken was going to look like, but it was for nothing; a few moments later, the foliage that she and Rin had come from earlier rustled around quite a bit before a stout figure emerged.

Rei almost blanched at the sight. It was obviously a demon (she didn't need her senses to pick up on that), and it looked almost like a beaked toad, although it was more fitting of the description of an imp. A kappa, maybe? She wasn't about to brush off any possibilities.

"Hi Lord Jaken!" Rin waved frantically again. Jaken seemed to pay her no mind, instead turning to look at Rei.

"What's this human wench doing here?!" he snapped.

Oh, he did _not_ just call Rei Hino a _wench_.

**.:Fin:.  
**

_Oh gawd, my immaturity knows now bounds. Am I the only one who cracked up on the line _"He yanked his sword out, and in a flash, it became large and deadly."_? Aw, c'mon, YOU KNOW YOU LAUGHED._

_Many thanks to the oracle, a BSSM encyclopedia that helped me remember every single one of Sailormars' attacks ;u; Yeah, I forgot them, big deal ... my brain cells aren't equipped to remember that sort of crap (even though I used to be able to list'em off the top of my head ...). And of course, I love both anime and manga Rei equally – but manga Rei exhibits a slight more mature nature than anime Rei. So, obviously, attacks of anime and manga Sailormars are combined, as are personality traits of Rei in here, especially serving for later story purposes._


	3. Analyze This

_**Crimson**_

_Ahknee/Kitteen_

_A/N: Anyway. VOTE IN THE POLL IN MY PROFILE. I dunno where I'll head after I manage to finish this story, which should be relatively quickly once I'm done with the revision. I mean, look at how fast it's moved already compared to the old versions xD So I'd love to know the fan opinions on who I should focus a story on next._

**.:Chapter 3: Analyze This:.**

Somehow, Rei had been invited by Rin to join her group for lunch. She was not about to complain, although the trek back to camp was relatively awkward, due to Jaken leading the front, nursing an injured back and a bruised head as he grumbled audibly to himself. Rin was merely ignoring him, chattering away like nothing was wrong.

Rei was not ashamed to admit that she'd promptly punched and then kicked Jaken right into a tree after he'd called her a wench. In fact, Rin found it hilarious, and had doubled over laughing at the imp's injury.

As they walked, Rei half listened to Rin, who babbled on about random things and jumped from topic to topic as if flow had never occurred to her. Rei was more concerned about this lord she was about to meet; he must be kind if he had taken Rin under his wing, but one could never tell. And was he a demon? Jaken didn't seem the type to serve under a human ... A part of her was hoping he'd be somewhat handsome. As childish as it was, that part of her had never really gone away.

Minutes later, they cleared the trees, stepping into a small clearing, just big enough to set up camp. Rei's eyes immediately did an eager scan of the area, only to find no other soul occupying the empty space. It was almost disappointing. Well, she could wait.

--

When Rei had said she could wait, it didn't mean she had expected to be left sitting around waiting until _nightfall_.

The fire to cook the evening meal was ablaze already, and Rei was occupying herself by playing some games with Rin, easily ignoring the scathing looks Jaken was sending her way. He was probably still sore about that whole 'you-just-got-owned-by-a-chick' tree thing earlier, which she was making a note to repeat at a later date, especially if he dared to call her anymore names.

"Lady Rei, teach me a new game!" Rin bounced in her spot.

"Just call me Rei," she replied. "I don't like being called Lady Rei."

She'd never admit it, but she really did – it just sounded slightly odd, once she really thought about it.

"Fine, fine! Just teach me a new game, pleaseee?" Cue puppy dog eyes.

"Okay Rin," Rei said, holding out her hands, palms facing Rin. "Put your hands like mine."

Teaching her some hand games would give the girl some coordination, which Rei figured wouldn't be at all a bad thing, especially when it came to a world filled with demons.

"What now?" Rin asked.

"Keep your hands like that, and I'll show you what you need to do with mine, alright?"

"'Kay!" she beamed up at Rei, who proceeded to go through the motions with her hands. By the time she was done, Rin looked slightly dizzy.

"... are you all right?" Rei asked.

"Um ..." Rin seemed to snap back to earth, suddenly regaining that grin of hers. "I got lost."

Rei's head fell and she sighed, unable to reprimand the kid because ... well, quite frankly, she knew that would happen.

"Maybe we should try something else," she sighed again, shaking her head.

"Okay!" Rin cheered. "... after dinner, right? I'm really hungry, and we can eat now."

"Huh?" Rei turned to face the campfire, and almost had a heart attack at the new presence that was standing idly at the clearing's edge. 'W-what?!'

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" Rin had gotten to her feet sometime during Rei's shock and bounded over the the figure, suddenly latching onto him in her own mini-glomp. "Welcome back!"

Rei couldn't help but stare. _That_ was a male? He looked ... girly (not that this wasn't something she'd gotten used to by now – gender confusion was more than common in her life). And what's more, he was really, really pretty.

... and he was a demon. A powerful one, at that. How Rei hadn't detected him entering the area was far beyond her knowledge; she should've picked up on his aura way before he even got within a few yards of the clearing.

She knew he was silently evaluating her, and his topaz eyes seemed to harden at the sight of her. If she didn't know any better, she'd say his nose scrunched up a little in disdain.

'What a snot,' she mentally snarled, quickly breaking the moment and turning away from him so she could stand up and dust her outfit off.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, I found a friend," Rin grinned up at the intimidating figure, completely unphased. Rei wondered how she did it. "Isn't Rei pretty?"

Rei's face flushed. She was thankful she had turned away from the group again. It was her sincere hope that he wouldn't acknowledge that question.

Turning around, she faced Sesshoumaru.

"Um ..." Under that piercing gaze, how was she supposed to properly introduce herself? She gathered her wits together.

"My name is Rei," she bowed deeply at the waist, pausing for a brief second before standing back up straight. "It's a ... pleasure to meet you, Lord Sesshoumaru."

Even if her grandpa was a pervert, he was good for one thing, and that was teaching her the old customs of formalities among the Japanese. She was happy he's engraved them into her head over the years.

Instead of replying, Sesshoumaru merely walked off to the other side of the clearing, elegantly taking a seat against a tree.

'... manwhore,' Rei hid a frown. His gaze turned to her, as if knowing what she was thinking. She quickly hid her discomfort, instead opting to take a seat next to Rin, by the fire.

"Here Rei!" Rin thrust a stick at her with a fish stuck on it. She stared at it dumbly for a moment before grabbing it from Rin's hand gently.

Great. Fish on a stick. Could this get any more primitive?

--

Everyone looked asleep as far as Rei could tell. In fact, she knew that almost the whole group was down and out for the count – Jaken was practically snoring (a terrible sound, she would admit, that could rival Usagi's in volume), and Rin was curled up on her side, her breathing slow, soft, and even.

The only one Rei couldn't be certain of would be Sesshoumaru, but she wasn't about to walk up to the guy and start prodding him to see if he was. She did not have a death wish at the moment, and much preferred to have all of her limbs in tact.

She shuddered at the thought. His very being just radiated cold-blooded killer. She had already made a note to stay on his good side – or whatever side it was that prevented one from getting diced to pieces by him. As hard-headed and stubborn as she could be, Rei knew when to back down and let the dominance go to someone else, even if it was to some pig-headed ignoramus man. She would forgive herself a bit easier if she knew it would save her neck.

Sesshoumaru, Rei admitted, was an interesting character. He seemed to absolutely despise her, so she figured that, him being a demon, he hated humans, but when Rin would run up to him and latch onto him like a human leech, he didn't seem to care in the least – in fact, it seemed to make him a bit (dare she say it?) happier. He was a walking hypocrisy, and she was curious as to why he allowed Rin to tag along with him like she did. Was there something Rei was missing? Was there a blatant link between the two that she was ignorant of? She didn't know what could possibly be going through that man's head to allow something like this.

Her eyes floated back over to Jaken. Oh, Sesshoumaru had to hate humans, if Jaken was any indication – servants often took up the ideas of their masters, and with the way Jaken acted over Rin and herself, she was very certain of this conclusion.

So what made this all happen?

Rei could feel a headache coming on. She needed to stop over-thinking this whole matter. It wasn't like it was much of her business, anyway; whatever happened was probably far in the past, and she probably wouldn't be able to worm it out of any of the group even if she really wanted to.

Puffing out a slight sigh, she stood up from her spot near Rin. Stretching, she took the opportunity to stare up at the sky. Rei admitted it: the view was gorgeous – she'd never seen more stars in the night sky at once. Everything was bathed in the natural light of the stars and moon, an almost ethereal glow, like nothing she'd seen before.

Rei took her seat back on the ground, falling onto her back once she did, to continue admiring the sky. She was sure that if she stared at it long enough, she'd fall asleep quickly.

Her eyes tried to pick out the constellations she used to know by heart. The best she could do was pick out the North Star and one of the dippers – whether it was the big or little one was a different story entirely. She figured even if she could remember where each constellation was supposed to be, she's probably have some minor issues picking them out anyway, what with the masses of other stars cluttering the sky.

Sighing softly, she closed her eyes, attempting to get as comfortable as she could, considering it was some relatively solid ground she was stuck on.

It was now that Rei decided she would willingly kill for a bed.

--

Morning rolled around, and Rei found herself sleep deprived and easily pulled into the realm of the awake due to the light state of slumber she'd drifted into.

"Rei!" Rin seemed to pop out of absolutely nowhere; Rei didn't really react, since she was still mildly out of it.

"What?" she yawned.

"Let's go go go! We're eating then leaving!"

And it was in this unofficial way that Rei officially became part of Sesshoumaru's posse and thereby semi-official playmate slash sisterly guardian figure of Rin.

Rei dragged Rin to the nearby river to wash up a little, allowing the older woman to straighten out her appearance as best as she could using her watery reflection. She also took this opportunity to teach Rin the basics of proper hygiene.

Once they returned to camp, they ate and left. Sesshoumaru took the lead, Rei and Rin occupied the middle, and Jaken grumbled at the back of the formation to himself about how there was yet _another_ human female in _his_ personal space that was leaving an absolutely _filthy _stench everywhere.

Rei was very tempted to kick him into another tree again, but this time with the intent of leaving him unable to function for a few days. She figured this wouldn't be very appreciated by the rest of the group and refrained from turning around to give into her anger-fueled urges. After all, she was an adult now, and since there _was_ a child around, she had to at least attempt to act the part.

"Rei, where did you live before?" Rin had been explaining the majority of her life to Rei over the past hour or so, and now the questions had turned to the older of the two.

"Me? Oh, well ..." Technically she _still_ lived at her shrine, but seeing as she had no way of getting there, she'd stick to the past tense. "I lived in a Shinto shrine."

"Really?" Rin's eyes widened. "What'd you do?"

"I was the priestess there," Rei grinned. "But most of the time I just did all the caretaking."

"Oh." Rin almost seemed a little disappointed in this. "Did you do anything else?"

"Occasionally, I would pray before the sacred fire of the temple."

"Why?"

"To find the answers to important questions."

"Like what?"

"Things." Rei wasn't exactly comfortable diverging any information that may lead to her identity being revealed. She'd only let that happen if it were a life or death situation.

"Can you do anything since you're a priestess?"

"A few things."

"Like what?"

"Sometimes, I see what's going to happen in the future. Otherwise, my abilities go toward helping others. I guess you could say I've almost devoted my life to helping people, actually." That was pretty true, considering she spent a good chunk of her teenage years fighting off the evils of the universe and thusly saving all mankind (and alien kind, she had to recall) from being overtaken.

"Can you tell me how to do all that?"

"I don't think I can ..."

"Why not?" A pout had formed on Rin's face.

"I was born like this."

"... oh." Again, Rin looked disappointed. Rei patted her head slightly, causing her to pout and glare up at Rei. "Hey!"

"Well, then stop looking like the world just ended," Rei scolded. "You'll be able to do amazing things someday, as long as you work for it."

If that had sounded any cheesier, Rei probably would've gagged, but she didn't want Rin to get all pessimistic about her own abilities. She was a smart kid; she'd find something to do with herself one day.

--

Kagome huffed as she pulled herself out of the well, looking utterly exhausted. She shoved her backpack over the side, letting it fall onto the ground with a heavy thud, before easily swinging herself up and over.

She dragged her backpack up and onto her shoulders, heading out of the shack and towards her home. As she stepped out of the shadowy shack, a loud flapping hit her ears. She glanced up, only to be met by the site of two crows madly swooping about the structure. Her brows knotted in confusion.

'What the ...' That was odd behavior for crows. Moreover, they didn't usually come over into this area.

Too tired to really contemplate the situation, she headed for her house. Once she had stepped into the kitchen, she collapsed onto a chair.

"I'm home," she managed to call out. After a brief pause, her mother scuffled into the kitchen.

"Kagome!"

"What's wrong?" she perked up at her mother's slightly hassled appearance.

"For one, you're late! Your cousin came by already!"

"Really?" She knew she'd forgotten about something important ...

"And now she's missing!"

"Wait. What?!"

"She was here just two days ago. When I went into her room in the afternoon, she wasn't there! We've searched all over for her!"

"How could you guys lose her?" Kagome wailed, head falling onto the table with a light thunk.

"I don't know!" Her mother had already surpassed the stage known as 'panic' and moved onto the next phase, which Kagome didn't even know existed. "What are we supposed to tell her father and grandfather?!"

"Calm down mom!" Kagome stood up. "You're the adult!"

"You're right!" This seemed to calm her down considerably, and she forced herself to breathe slowly.

"Okay, so what do you think happened to her?"

"I have no idea! That's why we've all been running about like headless chickens," her mom replied. "She just vanished sometime before the morning of her third day here."

"So it was during the night, when everyone was asleep?"

"Yes."

Kagome bit down on her bottom lip, trying to come up with some logical explanation.

"Maybe she decided to go back home?"

"And leave all of her things here?"

"... good point."

And so the mother and daughter were back at square one.

--

"I can't feel Rei anymore."

Usagi's news was a terrible thing for the group of guardians to hear.

"It's like she just disappeared," the young woman with twin buns for hair remarked. "I can't pick up anything of hers."

Luna nuzzled her cheek against the back of Usagi's palm in her form of comfort. The group knew that when Usagi could no longer sense one of them, something bad had happened. They were linked in their minds, hearts, and souls, and although the rest of the group did have a certain bond amongst each other, Usagi's link to everyone was the strongest of all.

And when her link was completely severed ... it usually meant someone was dead.

"Are you sure it's not because she's just out of the city?" Ami asked, her brows knotting together.

"Really sure!" the blonde insisted.

"Well, what can we do?" Makoto asked.

"How about a search party?" Minako suggested. "It doesn't have to be all of us. Like, one or two people. Or just one because we don't wanna leave Usagi here all defenseless and stuff."

"Hey! I'm not defenseless!" Usagi butted in.

"But who should go?" Makoto asked, ignoring Usagi's pouting.

"More like, who has the time to go," Makoto grumbled. "We're all busy ..."

"I can go," Minako grinned. "I mean, c'mon, I _am_ the leader and all, so it's only natural to send me out ..."

"Are you sure?"

"Completely! I'll even drag Art here with me!" To emphasize her point, Minako held up the white furball, who practically bit her fingers off.

"Mina! Stop handling me like I'm a toy!" he snapped. Luna snickered at him, and he shot his partner a glare.

Minako obliged to his wishes after he had squirmed enough and let him fall onto the carpet ... on his face.

"Ouch!" he wailed. "You abusive woman!"

"You wanted me to stop holding you," she remarked, her expression blank.

"Not like that!"

"This really isn't the time to be arguing," Ami muttered, frowning as she watched the feline and blonde argue.

"Ami's right, so quiet you!" Makoto snatched Artemis out of Minako's range, effectively cutting the argument short.

"Usagi, what do you say we do?" Ami looked at the frowning blonde.

"I'm not sure," Usagi bit her lip. The serious mood of the normally bubbly girl was heavily weighing on the group. "Give me a day, okay?"

The other girls echoed their consent. Whatever Usagi's final decision was, they would follow it.

--

Rei sighed to herself, once more unable to sleep. Tonight, Rin had somehow managed to nod off while sitting next to Rei and her head had dropped into Rei's lap at some point. She wasn't about to get up and disturb the girl's sleep since she looked so content.

Idly, Rei ran a hand through Rin's hair, mildly surprised at the few amounts of tangles she encountered. Shifting around just enough to get better support on her back from the tree she was leaning against, she spared a glance up through the canopy of leaves that sheltered her.

Her gaze fell back on Rin. The girl was a puzzle to her, somehow. She seemed so simple and carefree (it almost reminded her of Usagi, come to think of it), yet she somehow seemed to have some odd weight on her. Rei could only figure it was something from her past, but she wouldn't be able to make any assumptions without a good hint or two to guide her along.

'Her parents are probably dead.' It was the only thing she could be remotely certain about. Why else would she be wandering around with a gang like Sesshoumaru and Jaken?

Of course, that led her straight back to the main question that plagued her mind. _Why_ was she traveling with them? It made no sense at all.

She broke her thoughts away from the matter when Rin stirred lightly in her sleep. She paused in running her hands through her hair, waiting for the kid to settle down again before she resumed her actions.

Rei didn't know where the motherly side had come from. She didn't like kids. She was terrible with a majority of them. She didn't think a maternal side even existed in her. And yet here she was, letting Rin use her lap for a pillow while petting her hair.

... she could almost picture the other girls laughing themselves spitless over the scene. The great Rei Hino, reduced to ... babysitting.

'Oh, what's life come to?'

The matter was the least of her now numerous worries. First she needed a way to get out and back home before getting too attached here (which would prove problematic – her sense of direction out here was nonexistent). Then there was the question of _how_ to get home. Did she just jump back into that well? Common sense told her that was the most likely solution; if something goes one way, it's bound to go the other way, too.

She sighed again, softly, letting her eyes roam the small camp grounds they'd ended up at. Jaken was, as per usual, snoring (she'd need to find a way to stop him from doing that – she was certain it was one of the things preventing her from falling asleep), while Sesshoumaru was ... well, leaning against a tree, much like she was, resting on that odd bit of fluff he dragged around.

What was with that fluff, anyway? If he wasn't so intimidating it would make him look positively silly. Maybe it was his form of a safety blanket – a really soft, fuzzy, pettable-looking safety blanket.

... she cut off any more thoughts over that before she could start laughing. It amused her too much.

As for Sesshoumaru himself – the demon was the biggest issue for Rei. She couldn't read him to save her life, and that was one of the things about him that annoyed her the most. His face was always pulled into that unconcerned, calm look – cold, calculating, and unresponsive; in other words, a block of ice. The most emotion she'd seen him show over the past couple of days was a mere flicker in his eyes, and that was usually just a sort of disdainful, 'holier-than-thou' look or glare.

She knew there had to be some emotional side under that. There was no way he didn't have some sort of feelings besides complete indifference or (seeing as she could picture it) rage. The fact that he'd taken in Rin and was practically her guardian was proof of that – there was some softer side beneath all that armor and arrogance.

Rei made up her mind. It was a stupid decision, an utterly doomed choice for her to make, but she set her mind to it. She was determined to peel away those layers of his to see just what was at the core of this demon.

She knew it was pointless. She wasn't supposed to interfere in a time that wasn't her own. But she'd already broken that rule, so the only way to go was forwards with it. If Sailor Pluto was going to jump on her case, so be it. And oh, how she couldn't tolerate men – she didn't know why she had the urge to do this at all, but her gut was screaming at her to, and who was she to deny her instinct? This would be worth it, no matter how trying it was on her already thin shred of patience.

Besides, what better way to melt a block of ice than with a brilliant fire?

Well, this made two nights in a row of her doing a detailed analysis of someone she barely knew. She needed to find better ways to fill her schedule or she'd end up slapping herself for redundancy.

Rei puffed out a gentle sigh, settling herself against the tree more comfortably, shutting her eyes. She needed to get a decent night's rest or she'd be running on sheer will alone, and she wasn't the most tolerable or reasonable sort of girl when that occurred.

--

It was odd. Rei was up at the crack of dawn and couldn't fall back asleep. So what did the brilliant warrior of the flames do?

She sat around and watched the sunrise like a good girl. It wasn't like she had ample opportunities to do so; she was usually still asleep, and if she wasn't then the times when she did witness them involved saving the known world/universe from destruction after some grueling battle in which she didn't really appreciate the sunrise due to her tired self.

And so she sat and enjoyed the sunrise, deciding that it looked absolutely gorgeous when there was no pollution or city lights to get in the way of the beauty.

**.:Fin:.**

_During the beginning of my summer vacation, I'd taken the time to catch up on the Inuyasha manga - and, frankly, without all the filler chapters, it wouldn't have taken me a week to finish the series off from where the anime ended. It would've taken about four days, really. But, it did rekindle my love, and there were some amazing moments in there ... despite the ending being anticlimatic and predictable._

_... guys, be appreciative of having a light schedule and workload this school year. Really. I got everything I need out of the way at my old school. I have more free time these days than I can shake a stick at, hence faster work on here. Or not, since I apparently have ADD. Bah ...  
_


	4. The Other Girl Who Leapt Through Time

_**Crimson**_

_Ahknee/Kitteen_

_A/N: Aiya ... well, hello there, four-day weekend. Pleasure to meet you.  
Many thanks to every reviewer thus far for this revision! I love you all! You ghost readers, too!  
_

**.:Chapter 4: The Other Girl Who Leapt Through Time:.**

Minako hummed lightly to herself as she rocked on her heels, waiting for her bus to arrive. The decision had been made, and she would go and hunt down Rei, not returning until she was fully able to drag the other female back to the rest of the group.

Artemis, who had taken refuge inside of the tote bag she'd slung over her shoulder, peered out from the top.

"Mina," he muttered, "why did you volunteer me for this?"

"Because, you're my partner, Art!" she grinned down at him. "Wherever I go, you go. We're a team, silly!"

"I hope you prepared well for this trip," he grumbled, ducking back inside her bag as the bus pulled up.

"Ah, but of course," she continued to grin to herself. She'd packed lightly, assuming her search for Rei wouldn't last over a week. Minako was a great detective sort, after all – no sleuth could outwit her, the great (former) Sailor V!

Well, that's what she kept telling herself as she began to hum one of her favorite spy tunes.

--

If she'd been the type, Kagome would've been gnawing her fingernails down to the cuticles over the matter of where Rei had managed to magically disappear off to.

'Okay, if I were her, where would I be?'

All logic in the question became null when she realized she didn't know her cousin's behaviors well enough to accurately guess where she'd gone, and it certainly wasn't like she had the time to sit around trying to figure it out.

Outside of the shrine, Minako twirled her old Crescent Compact around in her hands.

"So," she grinned, checking to make sure there wasn't anyone around. "It's been a while since I've had to use this, huh Art?"

Said white feline stuck his head out of Minako's tote bag, gasping for air. "Mina! It's too stuffy in there! Leave the top open a bit more next time."

"Right, right," the blonde laughed. "Well, what should I disguise myself as? Hmmm..."

"Are you sure that's necessary?" Artemis frowned.

"Well, I do wanna come back here later, and it'll look iffy if I'm the same both times!" she rationalized. "I mean, c'mon, I wanna look like an average visitor, right?"

"... right." For once, she was being sensible.

"Okay, let's see here, what schools did we pass while we were on our way here?"

"Not like I could've seen them," Artemis huffed as she thought. "Can you even pass off for a teenager anymore?"

"Of course!" Minako pouted. "Are you calling me old? I'll have you know-"

"I get it!"

"Good," she grinned. "Now, Crescent Moon Power Transform! Make me a student!"

"Please, be more original," Artemis muttered under his breath. The now-transformed Minako smiled down at him, oblivious to his comment.

"So, how do I look? Like my teenage self, hm?" She flicked her hair over her shoulder, giving a cute little wink to emphasize her point.

"Perfect." His reply was monotone. She ignored him and, dusting off her skirt, made her way up the last few steps to the shrine grounds.

"Y'know Art, being a bit less snarky would totally help you out in life."

--

By nature, Rei was of an easily irritable disposition. Sure, she had some nice part buried deep down inside her, squashed beneath a few layers of skin, muscle, and sarcastic remarks, but it took a good person to will that out of her.

Jaken was not the sort of being to will that kind part out of her.

It was only obvious that when one certain Sesshoumaru made his entrance into the campsite that he would find Rei practically bearing her claws and Jaken brandishing his staff at her in a semi-menacing fashion while Rin stood off to the side, an innocent bystander who would most likely end up swept into the hurricane that was Rei and Jaken.

It was also obvious that the two would cease their petty argument as soon as one certain Sesshoumaru entered, as neither party wanted to feel the wrath he would most undoubtedly smite them with.

The only effect Sesshoumaru's presence had upon the two was the separation effect; hence they retreated to different sides of the camp and started to glare at each other.

If he had been the less composed sort of demon and not some grand lordly fellow, Sesshoumaru would've certainly done a little facepalm as he heaved a great sigh of annoyance.

As he was, Sesshoumaru settled for taking a seat against the tree that he had staked silent claim over when camp had been set up earlier during the day.

Jaken had taken to muttering under his breath while shooting what he supposed were furtive glance at Rei, but she easily caught them. To her, his subtlety was worse than Usagi's.

"I heard that," Rei snapped dangerously from across camp, sending a scorching glare only she was capable of at the stout demon. "Wanna come over here and say that to my face?"

"If you didn't appear so fiendish to my eyes, I would!"

Sesshoumaru, from his silent spot against the tree, could see the vein starting to throb on Rei's forehead. Rin, having taken notice of the highly dangerous air floating about the area, ran over to seek some shelter in Sesshoumaru. Understandably, he allowed her to take refuge a couple of feet away from him.

"I dare you to say that again," Rei hissed.

"You're ugly!"

"Oh, that's it!" Rei heaved a rather formidable rock at Jaken's person. He squawked indignantly and attempted to dodge it, but failed to expect a second rock flying at the space he had fled to, receiving a hefty blow upon his forehead.

Rei cackled quietly to herself in victory. From her safety spot, Rin shuddered with fear. This side of Rei was not one she wanted to see often.

With Jaken suitably unconscious according to all medical laws, Rei settled back down in her spot, brushing off imaginary dust from her shoulders as she did so. Rin continued to stay in the safe(r) presence of Sesshoumaru.

It seemed like it would take a while for Rei and Jaken to arrive at a truce where neither would end up rending the other limb from limb or some other horrible fate that involved some painful torture and possible disembowelment via sharp tree branch.

--

Minako was crouched down in the shadows of the tree surrounding the Higurashi shrine and residence, Artemis on his haunches next to her as she spoke quietly into her communicator.

"'Operation: Ninja?'" Minako could hear Ami sigh off in the background. Usagi's visage laughed on the small screen as the blue haired girl's rant continued. "Really, Mina, at least be a bit more original with your titles..."

Minako merely laughed nervously.

"Anyway," the female dubbed V-babe by her companions continued, "I did a bit of snooping while the old man was giving me a tour of the shrine earlier today. And really, what's with old grandpas and working at ancient shrines? Is it like the cool trend for old men or-"

"Mina!" This time, it was Makoto.

"I think they want you to explain what you've found," Usagi laughed nervously as she glanced to the side. Maybe the remaining two primary guardians were threatening her to get Minako to explain more.

"Okay, well, using my mad sleuthing skills-"

"More like common sense-"

"-this old shack on the property-"

"-old man wouldn't show you it-"

"-pretty suspicious, y'know?"

"-requires that much thought."

Minako and Artemis found themselves simultaneously glaring at each other.

"Punk," she huffed, pouting at her feline companion.

"Minako, if you would kindly continue your explanation." Ami had apparently wrenched the communicator from Usagi's grasp during the small issue between woman and cat.

"Oh! Right!" she grinned. "Well, the shack kinda gave off this weird sort of energy. It felt real familiar and all but I couldn't put my finger on it. I guess it was a déjà vu energy vibe?"

"That's all?" the blue haired brainiac sighed dejectedly. "Nothing else?"

"Oh, yeah, I found two very familiar faces," the blonde smiled, suddenly turning her communicator to the ramshackle shack she'd spoken of. "Rei's ... erm, lovely crows!"

"Good. Anything else?"

"Well, I'm here to investigate the thing more now," she huffed. "I just figured I'd shout an update to you guys before I did anything in case, y'know, I have issues."

"Which we know you'll have," Artemis muttered darkly.

"Oh, hush, you!" she bopped Artemis on the head, and he yelped in pain, pawing gently at his now injured skull.

"Please try and be thorough," Ami sighed again. "And contact one of us as soon as you find anything remotely important, alright?"

"Gotcha!" Minako winked, flashing her trademark V sign before cutting off the link. She grinned down at Artemis. "Well? Ready for some action, Art? It'll be just like the good ol' days, just you and me!"

"Right, the good old days..." He continued to nurse his injured head, wishing he could find it in himself to utter a curse upon his dearest friend.

--

Ami sighed as the handed the communicator back to Usagi. "Do you really think she'll be able to pull this off without us having to send in backup?"

"I'm confident," Usagi nodded as she stuffed the communicator away. "Really."

"Well, I guess if Usagi's fine with it..." Makoto shrugged.

"Give Mina some faith," Luna chipped in. "She's matured quite a bit over the years."

"Yeah, as in she's stalking less celebrities."

"Indeed," Ami shook her head. "Well, if she needs backup, we can't afford to send anyone else out. It would leave you too defenseless, Usagi."

"We could always contact Haruka and the others," Usagi pouted. "I'm sure they'd be willing to help."

"What, in a matter like that?" A frown crossed Ami's normally passive features, her brows knitting together and causing her forehead to crease. "Usagi, you know how they are. They have their own lives to attend to. We can't simply ask them to drop whatever they may be doing for a simple search and retrieve mission."

"But we wouldn't be!" Everyone could practically see the light bulb flick on over Usagi's head, and the look that spread across her face said that she thought this plan she had made was foolproof. "I could just ask them to become my primary guardians while I send you guys off!"

"Usagi, you know that's not what they've been trained to do," Luna sighed. "They're all combat specialists. They're supposed to keep everything away from you from a distance, not close-up. If they don't continue working to improve their skills in their particular field, then we could very well destroy our primary defenses for the future."

"Luna, you worry too much."

The feline sighed. Once Usagi set her mind upon something, she was pretty much set until it all panned out her way,

--

Rei found herself shocked when a sudden noisy beeping began to come from the pocket of her relatively ruffled clothes. All eyes focused upon her and she grinned sheepishly.

"Pardon me for one moment." And with that she dashed off for the shelter of the trees. Once in the sanctuary of the forest, she yanked her communicator out of her pocket.

"Oh Rei!" Sailor Venus chirped in a singsong voice through the device. "I've found you!"

"... Mina?" The raven-haired girl was stunned stupid.

"That's right! The great V-babe is here to recover you and bring you straight back home!" the blonde cheered. "So, tell me where you are, how to get there, and we're set!"

"... Mina, you do realize that you'll end up getting lost here, right?" Artemis' low grumble was picked up by the communicator and Rei sighed.

"I can't exactly figure out where I am, you know," she began. "Even if I did, I couldn't tell you how to get here."

"Huh, bummer," Sailor Venus frowned in thought. "Well, could ya tell me exactly where I am?"

"I'd wager we're in the past," Rei replied. "... how did you even get here?"

"Oh, Usagi and the gang sent me to find you!" she beamed. "I just investigated your cousin's shrine grounds, found that suspicious looking well, and jumped-"

"-more like tripped on the stairs and fell-"

"-right in!" Venus easily ignored her feline counterpart's grumpy remark.

"Uh ... huh ..." Rei trailed off. "I think you should go back through the well."

"What?" Venus almost shrieked. Rei could hear the distinct cawing of a few crows in the background, probably disturbed by the blonde's voice. "No, no, and no! I was given strict orders to not return until I had you in tow!"

"Everyone's really that worried about me?" she murmured.

"Yep! And, you'll be really proud of me, too."

"Why?" The odd look spreading over Venus' features was worrying Rei.

"Your crows came with me! They almost pecked out my eyeballs on the way through that well, I'll have you know," Venus grumbled as she turned the communicator to the two crows perched on the edge of the well. "I reckon you owe me a few free shrine prayers for that."

"... right."

"Well, whatever. I'm gonna do my best to bring you back! I am the great Sailor V and nothing will stop me!" The blonde had a look in her eye that said she was not giving up. Rei was all too familiar with that stubborn look. "In fact, I think I'll see if your dear Phobos and Deimos are willing to scout out the area for me."

"They won't listen to you," Rei quickly butted in. "They're very set in their ways and refuse to listen to anyone but me."

"Then tell them to do it!"

"What? I'm not about to send my pets out into this crazy world where they could possibly die!"

"...what could kill them?" Sailor Venus frowned.

"Demons."

"Ahaha, you're real funny Rei. Seriously, though, afraid a cat's gonna get them? Maybe a fox at worst?"

"I'm serious here," she snapped in response. "Apparently demons were commonplace back in this day and age."

"R-really?" Sailor Venus had dealt with much in her day. Robbers, common criminals, various monsters, humans turned to the dark side, and even other sailor soldiers. She hadn't been pitted against anything like a demon yet, and she wasn't really quite sure she was ready for that, if the waver in her voice was any indication.

"Really," Rei affirmed. "which is why you need to take Phobos and Deimos and hurl all your asses back through the well before you get seriously hurt."

"What about you?" Artemis' voice piped up as he squeezed his head into the screen's view.

"I'll be fine," Rei assured, "I've found some people to travel with, and I doubt anything will disturb us."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course."

"I'm gonna stay here, mind you," Venus shoved Artemis' head out of the way so she could have Rei's full attention again. "I'm not leaving you here to get randomly mauled to death by some rabid creature, got that? I'm not as tactless as I appear, y'know."

"Mina!" Rei snapped.

"No way! Usagi gave me a mission and I'm gonna see it through to the end. I'm your leader and you have to put up with my decision to stay here and look for you, got it?"

"You'll get killed out here!"

"Well, you haven't!" Venus frowned. "I'm going to find you and that's that. I'll give you a ring when I can."

And with that, the link was cut. Rei could've just hit the orange button that was for contacting the blonde, but decided against it, as her temper had flared despite how calm she had appeared during the conversation. Shoving the communicator away, she made her way back to camp, only to find Rin looking at her expectantly while Jaken was failing to maintain a look of indifference.

"What?" she snapped, storming off to her own little area of the camp and plopping down to take a seat. Jaken, already having been on the receiving end of her wrath, decided not bothering her would be a wise idea. Rin, on the other hand, knew she would be able to get away from the raven-haired woman's temper unscathed, and made her way over to the fuming female.

"What was that weird noise?" she asked, making sure to throw in the big pleading eyes of innocence. Rin knew the power that this particular look held; it had earned her more than enough wins over Jaken in the time she'd been around him, and she figured putting it to use here would easily score her a victory.

"Nothing," Rei grumped in response. Rin frowned, realizing her attempts were not working. She upped the ante a notch, forcing her lower lip out in a mild pout. Rei's anger seemed to dissipate a touch, and Rin did a mental victory cheer.

"Where'd the noise come from?"

"My pocket," Rei replied. "You don't need to worry about it."

Sensing she was getting somewhere with this, Rin continued to pour on the cute factor. "What made the noise?"

"It's nothing," she replied. "Please, don't bother with it any more."

Rin realized she probably wouldn't get anywhere else with this conversation, and her attention over the matter was starting to waver a bit. Deciding to cut it short, she beamed at the older woman before prancing off with a light 'thank you' tossed over her shoulder.

It was then that Rin decided she'd never fully understand adults and their stubborn ways.

--

Kagome shoved the final snack food into her book bag with great effort, and when she stepped back to admire her handiwork, she found herself tempted to cry. The yellow monstrosity (for it was, in fact, the largest of its kind) stared back at her, almost sending her a cry of 'why do you do this to me?!'

And she really did wonder, why did she do this to the poor thing? How had it not ripped at the seams from being stuffed so full that is looked ready to burst?

It was one of the greater mysteries of life, Kagome decided, and she would be better off not knowing why the poor thing hadn't gone and exploded on her.

Sniffling pathetically, she (literally) dragged the book bag out of the house while her family sat back and watched. They feared the backpack. It was an enemy. They had vowed not to touch it for fear of immediate death by a broken spinal chord.

They were smart in that choice.

As Kagome finished heaving the poor carrying case into the shack and to the well, her mother approached her.

"Dear, we'll keep looking for Rei while you're busy," she sighed softly. "But please try to hurry back to help us. It's trouble enough for your grandfather to make excuses for your prolonged absence from school, alright?"

"Gotcha," Kagome nodded, heaving the backpack onto the edge of the well with a grunt. She wiped a thin layer of sweat off from her forehead. "I'll see if I can make it back in a week or so?"

"That sounds good," her grandpa nodded sagely.

"Okay then, I'm off!" she shoved the backpack over the side of the well as she climbed onto the ledge. Waving, she pushed off and let herself fall in.

On the other side of the well, one Sailor Venus would've been chewing on her perfectly manicured nails had it not been for the gloves (and her beauty sense) impeding her.

"Art, what do we do?!" she practically wailed. "We're in the middle of the past – which means no plumbing, mind you – and we lost Rei's crows! DO THE FATES HATE ME?!"

Artemis had clapped his paws over his ears in an attempt to drown out the woman's moaning. Waiting until she was done listing off her grievances, he finally spoke.

"Mina," he began, not bothering with the title her current state of being called for, "First off, CALM DOWN!"

She sniffled and looked at him, obviously working on her nerves.

"Secondly," he stared straight at her, "that well's glowing."

"What?" Venus spun around to stare at the well she'd previously been using to lean against. Her eyes did meet the glow of the well, which faded away when she blinked. "Whoa, trippy ..."

Artemis rolled his eyes.

Sailor Venus stood up, dusting off her sailor skirt as she did, before slowly starting to peer into the well. She almost fell back in shock.

"Holy crap there's a girl in there!" she pointed an accusing finger at the well as she inched away.

"You don't say?" Artemis grumbled. "I mean, it's how we got here, isn't it?"

"Oh, hush," she sent a glare his way before leaning back over into the well. "Uh, hello down there?"

Kagome, from the bottom of the well, was surprised to hear an unfamiliar voice call down into the well.

"Wha-?" when she glanced up, she almost doubled over. "Sailor Venus?!"

"Oh, hey, you know my name!" Venus grinned from the top of the well. Her eyes landed on the enormous backpack that Kagome's hand loosely clutched onto. "Do you ... need help with that?"

"Hm?" Kagome glanced down at her book bag before laughing nervously. "Oh, uh, yeah, that'd be great."

"I'll be back in a jiff, Art," Venus grinned back at her companion before leaping into the well. She was half-surprised it didn't light up again with the effects of the time-travel ... effect or whatever it was (she wasn't quite sure on the proper name for it). Lugging the backpack up with ease, she leapt back out of the well as Kagome began her climb up the vines.

As soon as Sailor Venus emerged from the well, Artemis began his lecture.

"How do you know she's not an enemy? She could very well be-" He was cut short, however, as Kagome hefted herself up from the well. Her average appearance was enough to signal to the feline that he was not to talk in her presence.

"So," Venus grinned, completely ignoring Artemis as she turned to face Kagome. "What's your name, since you're so well-acquainted with mine?"

"It's Kagome," Kagome replied, smiling broadly. "Thanks for the help!"

"Oh, it's no problem," Venus waved her hand.

"But I've got a question ..."

"Hmm?"

"... why are you here?"

Venus shot Artemis a nervous glance, and he just glared at her, not willing to drag her out of this problem.

"Well," she began with a slightly nervous laugh, "you see..."

**.:Fin:.**

_For the record, I'm getting to be an unmotivated bum. I have to apply to colleges. And purchase my graduation gown and cap. Ohoho, I am not a slacker, I swear!_

_Vote in my profile poll, you punks, or I'll be forced to take drastic measures._


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